Hand-hole cover-plate for boilers.



I W. BROWN. 'HAND HOLE COVER PLATE FOR BOILERS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 25, 1912.

1,085,966.. v Patentd Feb. 3, 1914.

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Fig-Z M g Wifnesses lm emor 7% WWW Wa/ler BIOWI? "UNITE srnrns WALTER BROWN, 0F EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF T0 ARTHUR B. IBIRGE, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

HAND-HOLE COVER-PLATE FOR BOILERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 3,1914.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WALTER BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Evanston, Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Hand-Hole Cover-Plates for Boilers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specifi cation, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a portion of a boiler plate provided with a hand hole opening and showing my improved device in position to close said opening. Fig.2 is a cross sectional view taken approximately on the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken approximately on the line 33 of Fig. 1 and showing the cover plate and the clamping member therefor in side elevation. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the clamping member. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a hand hole cover plate constructed in accordance with my invention.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in hand hole cover plates, and more particularly to the attaching or clamping means therefor, my present invention being an improvement on a similar device disclosed in my co-pending application for patent filed July 12, 1912, Serial #7 09,018.

The principal object of my present inven 'tion is to construct a simple, inexpensive hand hole cover plate composed of a minimum number of parts, which may be easily and quickly clamped in position upon a boiler plate or the like, and which device when properly applied for use provides a water and steam tight joint without the necessity of employing bolts, nuts and like fastening devices.

A further object of my invention is to provide a simple two part device constructed so as to utilize to best advantage the strength of the material of which the parts are constructed, and which device can be readily assembled or taken apart without the use of special tools.

With the above objects in view my present invention consists in certain novel fea tures of construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

Referring by numerals to the accompanymg drawings, A designates the boiler plate or sheet having formed therein the usual hand hole B. The body of the hand hole closing plate, as contemplated by my inven tron, comprises a disk 10 slightly smaller in diameter than the hand hole opening, and formed integral with the periphery of this disk is an annular outwardly projecting flange 11 which is adapted to overlie the edge of the plate or sheet adjacent to the hand hole.

When the cover plate is properly applied for use a gasket or packing ring 12, preferably of lead or analogous material, is positioned between the face of the flange 11 and the face of the boiler sheet or plate A. around the opening B therein.

Formed integral with the central portion of the plate 10 is a cylindrical projection 13, and formed integral with the outer end of said projection is a pair of oppositely disposed, outwardly projecting lugs '14., the undersides of which are preferably convex in cross sections The attaching and clamping member of my improved device comprises abase plate 15 having a centrally disposed opening 16 that is slightly larger in diameter than the diameter of the extension 13, and this opening is provided with a pair of oppositely arranged extensions 16 of such size as to accommodate the lugs 14 when the parts are assembled. The central portion of the base 15 is widened, as designated by 17 and formed integral with the top of said base plate to the sides of the opening 16 is a pair of upwardly projecting flanges 18, the top surfaces 19 of which are inclined lengthwise.

To close a hand hole with my improved cover plate the disk 10 is held in position upon the inner face of the boiler sheet or plate with the flange 11 overlying the packing ring or gasket 12 upon the edge of the opening B in said boiler plate, and with the extension 13 and lugs 14 projecting through said opening. The clamping member is now applied to the outer face of the boiler plate and manipulated so that the extension 13 and lugs 14 project through the openings 16 and 16 The clamping member is now rotated approximately a quarter of a turn,

which movement causes the low portions of the projecting flanges to pass beneath the lugs 14, and continued movement of the locking plate causes the inclined faces 19 of said flanges to bear against the convex undersides of the lugs 14, and as a result, the two parts of the device are caused to move toward each other, thereby clamping the boiler plate and causing the flange 11 to engage with pressure against the gasket 12. The clamping member 15 can be driven home or into a perfectly tight position by means of a suitable tool, or by the blows of a hammer upon either end of the plate 15.

When properly clamped in position upon a boiler plate the frictional engagement of the lugs upon the faces 19 of the flanges prevents any rotary movement of one part relative to the other, and thus the device main tains its clamped position until removed by a suitable tool or by hammer blows upon one end of the plate 15.

A hand hole cover plate and clamping means of my improved construction is comparatively simple, inasmuch as it is composed of only two pieces, and the device can be very easily and quickly placed in position or removed therefrom, and where there are a large number of tubes or flues in use and it becomes necessary to clean said tubes or fines much time and labor can be saved by the use of a hand hole cover plate of my improved construction for the reason that the same can be removed and re-seated with little effort and in a comparatively short space of time.

My improved device being composed of only two parts, without bolts, nuts and screw threads, can be very cheaply manufactured.

It will be readily understood that minor changes in the size, form and construction of the various parts of my improved hand hole cover plate can be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A hand hole cover plate comprising two members adapted to be removably mounted on opposite sides of the hand hole of a boiler plate, one of said members having a headed stud, the other member having an opening adapted to receive the stud and permit the freepassage of the stud head therethrough, the outer face of said latter member and the stud head having complemental faces to provide a clamping of the members to the boiler plate by a partial ro tation of one member relative to the other, said opening-carrying member lying wholly between the stud head and the boiler plate.

2. A hand hole cover plate comprising two members adapted to be removably mounted )Il opposite sides of the hand hole of a boiler ilate, one of said members having a stud arrying a laterally projecting lug at its outer end, the other member having an opening adapted to receive the stud and permit the free passage of the lug therethrough, the outer face of said latter member and the inner face of said lug having complemental faces to provide a clamping of the members to the boiler plate by a partial rotation of one member relative to the other.

3. A hand hole cover plate comprising two members adapted to be removably mounted on opposite sides of the hand hole of a boiler plate, one of said members having a stud carrying a plurality of spaced apart laterally projecting lugs at its outer end, the other member having an opening adapted to receive the stud and permit the free passage of the lugs therethrough, the outer face of said latter member and the inner face of said lugs having complemental faces to provide a clamping of the members to the boiler plate by a partial rotation of one member relative to the other.

at. A hand hole cover plate comprising two members adapted to be removably mounted on opposite sides of the hand hole of a boiler plate, one of said members having a stud carrying a laterally projecting lug at its outer end, the other member having an opening adapted to receive the stud and permit the free passage of the lug therethrough, the outer face of said latter member and the inner face of said lug having complemental faces to provide a clamping of the members to the boiler plate by a partial rotation of one member relative to the other the complement-a1 faces being inclined relative to each other.

5. A hand hole cover plate comprising two members adapted to be removably mounted on opposite sides of the hand hole of a boiler plate, one of said members having a headed stud, the other member having an opening adapted to receive the stud and permit the free passage of the head there'- through, the outer face of said latter member and the stud head having complemental faces to provide a clamping of the members to the boiler plate by a partial rotation of one member relative to the other, said opening-carrying member lying wholly between the stud head and the boiler plate and having a normal diameter less than that of the plate hole and also having spaced extensions adapted to overlap the walls of said hole.

6. The combination with a plate having a hand hole, of a cover plate adapted to be applied to the inside of the first mentioned plate to close the hand hole therein, a stud on said cover plate, the outer end of which stud is provided with a pair of oppositely disposed under-cut shoulders, a clamping member adapted to be applied to the outside of the first mentioned plate. and permit the free passage of the shoulders therethrough, and to span the hand hole opening posed plate when the clamping member is therein, which clamping member is provided partially rotated with respect to the cover l with an opening adapted to admit the stud plate.

' on the cover plate and the outer face of .In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my 5 which clamping member is provided with a signature in the presence of two witnesses, 15

pair of oppositely arranged inclined bearing this 18th day of September, 1912. surfaces adapted to engage beneath the un- WALTER BROWN.

der-cut shoulders on the stud when the two Witnesses:

parts are assembled and to move said two ARTHUR B. BIRGE, 10 parts toward each other to clamp the interi M. P. SMITH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

7 Washington, D. G. V 

